Discoveries: Copacabana Club

Not much could be said about Copacabana Club, a fresh new Brazilian act hailing from the city of Curitiba, Paraná. Making an intriguing mixture of electro-rock and indietronica, they could be easily associated with bands like Cansei de Ser Sexy, although I'd rather make no such comparisons before they have released a full length studio album. Up to know they have released the EP "King of the Night" that contains the hit-single "Just Do It". I am pretty sure that if those guys release an album they would be Brazil's next big thing. My fingers crossed for a full release as soon as possible. If you have a Last.fm profile you could listen to their EP for free: Copacaba Club

Review: La Roux - La Roux

Lucky me! June is my pop month and a few new releases made it exceptionally good. After the amazing debut by English singer-songwriter Little Boots, on my door was already knocking another UK-export: La Roux. Behind the duo are vocalist Elly Jackson and the producer/songwriter Ben Langmaid, who have been cooking new material for almost an year now. Their eponymous debut album could easily pass as the most mature and elaborate pop release of the first half of 2009 and I am certainly not joking nor exaggerating. The Britons have done a great job and an album like "La Roux" is a must-hear in this year's album list!

Drawing inspiration from 80s new wave bands like The Human League and Yazoo, La Roux have their own visions and rely entirely on their very own originality not annoyingly being dependent on good old stuff, which supposedly should do them a few tricks. No, not at all, cause Jackson/Langmaid obviously know how to use the security of the old sound being given a few new improvements. La Roux are far from the idea of being copycats, but let's say that they didn't just discover America, but might leave you with the impression that you just learned about the island of Cuba. Backing themselves on the security of the numerously tried out formula for an electronic act, their debut effort is not a pathetic attempt to bring together loads of memories under the same roof, but an intelligent music provocation that explores new depths and tangles some old stuff with a gentle touch.

"La Roux" surprises abit with the balanced integrity it demonstrates, although at some points you might lose yourself somewhere in between the classy synthpop sound and the rough electronic experiments that are patched together in a rather crude manner. Fillers are virtually left out of the album, which gives an additional exceptionable quality of the product and a definite two-thumbs-up praise for the duo itself. Lyrical themes variate from personal hardships, through finding the meaning of life, to messing around on the battlefield called love. I have to say that I am bored to death to listen to love mishaps and broken hearts, but Elly Jackson with her distinctive quirky voice knows how to tell stories in a way that makes you stay till the end of the track.

Songs to hear: "In for the Kill", "Bulletproof", "Colourless Colour" and "Quicksand"

Rating: 8/10

Review: Vive La Fete - Disque d'Or

One of the best Belgian electronic exports the duo Vive La Fete always a few pleasant surprises awaiting us in their albums. "Disque d'Or" makes no exception and no compromises, because Danny Mommens and Els Pynoo know good music. Famous for their high productivity, loyalty to the French language and playful humor Vive La Fete never grow tired of the subtle tricks of the electro sound.

"Disque d'Or" (in English "Golden disc") is placed just two years after last proper studio record, but it clearly shows a change in favor of a more electronic sound, putting aside their more guitar-based clashy style. Of course, once again they have mixed plenty of music inspirations coming up with an original diverse concept that includes genres like dance-punk, electro-rock, new rave and electroclash. Everything is mixed and massively mashed with witty lyrics and Pynoo and Mommens chasing through the tracks.

The album marks a slight return to their earliest material, although it bares its very own essence and originality. "Disque d'Or" most certainly makes no attempts to recreate the atmosphere of "Republique Populaire" for instance, but paves the road to new music experiences in the jolly company of Vive La Fete. Even the slow tracks are suitable for clubs just when you wanna chill-out a little or slowly boogie around the dancefloor networking with other party people.

Of course, "Disque d'Or" is not that perfect to be unreal and has a few weak points, such as fillers, unexplainable stylistic overflows, lack of a lyrical center in few songs and the repetition of several ideas from previous albums. A few annoying details don't really screw up the quality, let alone make the record impossible to listen. "Disque d'Or" might never get to the golden disc certificate or be an impeccable example for an electronic album and still it's a huge load of fun, Belgian artistry and sexy vocals.

Songs to hear: "Petit Colibri", "Everybody Hates Me", "Ce Que Tu Penses de Moi" and "Amour Physique"

Rating: 7/10

Review: Passion Pit - Manners

If you've long missed a quality indie pop album on the prowl "Manners" by Passion Pit is out here to fill in a few cavities. Debuting just a couple of years ago the American band Passion Pit brought a fresh breeze in the lately rather stagnant electropop scene with some clever ideas and stylistic manners.

"Manners" has everything that should be expected from an indietronica album: brave experimenting, intriguing vocal-instrumental combinations, pushing a few boundaries further and sticking to their own kind of originality. This record may not be a groundbreaking detour from the straight electropop line, but definitely draws direct inspiration from other areas such as new wave, electro-rock and chamber pop, which add up to the diversity and saturation of the whole product. Lyrically Passion Pit show that words are a fine instrument to express emotions and they sound even better when accompanied by memorable tunes.

Nevertheless, I should warn you about the heavy falsetto that vocalist Michael Angelakos has, cause it may sound a bit too annoying at the very first listen (as happened with me). But after giving the album a second chance impressed by the sound quality I did start to enjoy his voice, which after the startle turns out to be a pleasant accompaniment to the instrumental arrangements. There is a track for almost every indie taste, from good old electronica to shaky dance-punk and soft alt-rock. The best thing is that despite the great variety "Manners" manages to stand its own ground with a stable structure and rhythmic change of pace and emotion.

Songs to hear: "The Reeling", "Make Light", "Moth's Wings" and "Folds in Your Hands"

Rating: 8/10

Recommendation Weekly: VV Brown

Ladies and gentleman, I give you one of the brand new and hottest names for the summer: VV Brown! The Northampton, UK, native with real name Vanessa Brown is a young and very promising singer-songwirter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who has released three singles up to date and right now is cooking her debut "Travelling with the Light", which is going to hit stores on 20th July. Brown has been compared to Santigold, Ladyhawke and Lily Allen and stylistically she has been put in several niches among which indietronica, alternative pop and dance-punk. Vanessa has already been listed as one of the hottest breakthroughs of 2009, but I warn you, she has just began! So watch out for VV Brown playing on your TV/radio stations and crashing for a long time in your hearts.

Recommendation Weekly: Familjen

Familjen is the stage name of Swedish electronic musician Johan T Karlsson, who hails from Hässleholm, but now lives in Stockholm. His endeavor in the music-making started while he was living in his hometown visiting from time to time the music studio of a friend. Soon he became interested in the whole recording process and started experimenting on his own, creating short instrumental pieces.

Afterward the experiments became more complex encompassing himself with professional equipment and the desire to be a professional musician. His style is an intriguing mixture of indietronica with elements of the singer-songwriter genre with the lyrics being the main force in his music. Although Karlsson sings exclusively in Swedish this is not a real obstacle as he sounds good without even understanding a single word coming out of his mouth, which is another fine example that music recognizes no language barriers. A couple of years he has already been active in Sweden and gradually gaining fame in Scandinavia, but still awaiting for the big moment to break in Europe and beyond. Probably it will be no sooner than he starts singing in English, which to me would be spoil the whole charm in his music, but who knows. I am pretty sure more of him is on its way to our ears.

Review: IAMX - Kingdom of Welcome Addiction

Chris Corner made my day! Actually he made my whole next week with his new amazing album called "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction", which is among the must-listens of this year. An elaborate work projecting the inadequacy in a pretentious life where emotions are plastic and we are all fake and empty. If you thought that "The Alternative" was a good album, that you still haven't heard Corner's new release, which to me is his best up to this very moment.

"Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction" is Corner's answer to the growing simplification of the music business, the complexity of the problems we surround ourselves with and the gloomy future we are supposedly going to dive into. The great variety of lyric topics range from the philosophical perception of life, the obscurity of feelings, the sexual ambiguity, the relations between friends and the modern frustration. As Corner's says for the album it could be seen "like Disney world but with lipstick, cynicism and wit" and after a few listens you get to understand what he means and it's kind of disturbing when you give it a decent thought.

Once again Chris Corner is upfront to his maximum, bringing out his hypersensitivity and painful sincerity, which may be too harsh to those used to lovey-dovey tracks set in a galaxy far far away, where love is the universal painkiller. IAMX has no medicine for your broken heart or teary eye, but "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction" is his foray into the soul-healing, which has so many wounds and none of them seem to heal, despite all the promises in this Disney-alike world. Of course, the album is no easy listen and is not suitable for commercial use, which distinguish it from the majority of electro-indie material coming out lately. This shouldn't discourage you from spending some quality time with IAMX and explore the fascinating world of his newest work.

Songs to hear: "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction", "My Secret Friend", "An I For An I", "Think Of England" and "You Can Be Happy"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Review: Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor

I have never had faith in the whole singer-songwriter thing, but these days I get to hear some excellent representatives of this genre and slowly, but surely my appreciation grows. A few days ago I posted a list of albums to be released in May and June. Patrick Wolf was among those listed, but honestly I had no plans to check out his new album. Not until today when I was browsing for some probable leaks and I stumbled upon "The Bachelor". Wolf is no new name to my music library, although I have never been fond of his music and I had almost no interest in him. "The Bachelor" made me realize I have ignored such a talent way too long.

Although the album is officially going to be out on 1st June you can already hear the leak version and decide for yourself whether to buy the album. If I had the money to put aside I would have immediately bought it in advance. Anyway, getting back to the album itself it is a very balanced combination between folk, electronica, alternative and indie songwriting. There is a fine structure supporting every single track and placing it in the exact spot, creating a next to perfect lyrical-instrumental combination.

"The Bachelor" was intended to be part of a double CD album called "Battle", but Wolf decided that this would overload people too much, this separating them into two albums, which will exist independently and still preserve a strong connection. "The Bachelor" explores such topics as the atrocities of life, the inadequacies of our emotional perceptions and the eternal battle between the inner being and the outer world. The album contains 13 tracks and none plays the role of a filler and all of them have their own purpose in the whole concept, which is quite a plus having in mind the loads of crap destined to be there for the count. An addition plus is the use of the voice of Tilda Swinton who appears as The Voice of Hope on the tracks "Oblivion" and "Theseus".

Songs to hear: "Vulture", "Hard Times", "Count of Casualty", "Oblivion" and "Battle"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Discoveries: Little Boots & La Roux

New music! Yay! This time I am posting three of my newest discoveries, which I hope will soon grow on me. They are both British, both female and both are promising.

Little Boots

Little Boots is the stage name of Victoria Hesketh, a British electronica musician born 1984. Her music career began at the age of 18, when she took part in Pop Idol, but never made it through round 4. After that she formed a jazz trio, toured Europe and afterward formed the electro-pop all-girl band Dead Disco. She was named Little Boots after watching "Caligula", which is little boots in English. Hesketh has worked with the British band Hot Chip. In January 2009 she won the BBC Sound of 2009 award, which had previously been granted to Adele, Mika, Keane and others.



La Roux

La Roux is not your typical synth duo as it actually isn't a duo, but the collaborative work between singer and synthesizer player Elly Jackson and the co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. La Roux is French for "red-haired one" and it is a direct reference to Jackson's typical hair style, thus the projects name. They draw inspirations from such bands as Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Eurythmics and The Human League, interpreting the music of the 80s in the electronic world of the 00s. La Roux is expected to release an album in June on Polydor, although an EP has already been made available.

Embedding has been disabled, which is why I am posting only the links:
Quicksand
In For the Kill